The Age of Sail

Before steam power transformed the Great Lakes, the lakes were ruled by sail. Schooners, brigs, and barques carried the commerce of a continent on canvas wings — and the men who built and sailed them were among the most skilled mariners in the world.

The Age of Sail exhibit features meticulously crafted ship models by Houghton C. Smith Jr., capturing the grace and complexity of 19th-century sailing vessels in extraordinary detail. Each model represents months of skilled craftsmanship and reflects Smith’s deep knowledge of and affection for the sailing era.

For anyone fascinated by wooden ships and the human achievement they represent, this is a quiet, contemplative, and deeply satisfying exhibit.